Regulator system



Nov. 26, 1946. s. B. CRARY 2,411,710

REGULATOR SYSTEM Filed Oct. 12, 1943 SOURCE OF SEPARATE EXC/ TA TlO/V T0 SYSTEM INTERCONNECTION Inventor Selden ficrary,

His Attorney.

Patented Nov. 26, .1946

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE REGULATOR SYSTEM Selden B. Crary,Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation New York Application October 12, 1943,'Serinl No. 505,955

machine from being lowered far enoughby the regulator to cause instability of the regulated synchronous machine. This lower limit of excitation is dependent upon the load on the machine, it being lower at light loads thanat heavy 8 Claims. (01. zoo-1) loads. Such a 'lower limit is particularly important in the case of a synchronous machine having a relatively low short circuit ratio. By short circuit ratio is meant the ratio of the field current at rated voltage no load to the field current at rated current during short circuit. High short circuit ratio machines are inherently relatively stable but they are large and expensive to manufacture, whereas low short circuit ratio machines. are smaller and less expensive but have less inherent stability margin.

Another way of decreasing the size and cost of a synchronous machine is to design it for higher rated power factor operation as this gives better utilization of the material in that the machine is not intended to carry much idleor wattless current. However, when this is done there is increased danger of overheating the machine as a result of its carrying too high a field current, or armature current, or both, in proportion to the actual kilowatt load it is carrying.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an improved automatic voltage regulator system for synchronous machines which is provided with an automatic upper limit of excitation whereby the heating of the machine is limited to a safe value. This upper limit may conveniently be combined with the regulator system of the above referred to patent so as to 2 everthe lowering action of the voltage regulatoris limited. In this manner the reduction in kilowatt-loading permits a further reduction in excitation so that normal voltage is maintained at the sacrifice of load. I An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved regulator system.

Anotheiobject of the invention is to provide 'an" improved automatic regulator system for synchronous dynamo-electric machines with an upper limit to its operation.

' A'i'urther object of the invention is to provide 'animproved'automatic voltage regulator system for synchronous generators which has both an upper limit and a lower limit.

A still further object oi the invention is to provide an improved automatic voltage regulator system for a synchronous generator which is provided with a modified lower limit control for automatically reducing the kilowatt loading of the regulated machine.

The invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

' The single figure of the accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically an embodiment of the invention. 7

As the present invention may readily be combined with the system of my above referred to joint patent with Louis W. Thompson, I will first briefly describe that system.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown therein by way of example a three-phase synchronous generator I which supplies power to an interconnected system over a circuit 2. The generator is driven by a suitable prime mover 3 such, for example, as a steam turbine which is provided with a throttle 4 whose position is controlled by any suitable means such as a conventional centrifugal speed governor Ii. The genorator has a direct current field winding 8 which is energized by a separately excited direct current exciter 1. The voltage of the generator is controlled by varying its excitation and this in turn is accomplished by varying the excitation of the exciter. To do this an automatic voltage regulator 8 is provided. This regulator may be of any suitable type and may for example be a rheostatic regulator of the type shown in Thompson Patents 1,848,852 or 1,894,837, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present application. The illustrated regulator is similar to that shown in the first-mentioned patent and it n ludes a reversible motor-operated rheostat 8.

s. k 3 The degree of excitation of the generator and the amount of load carried thereby are com pared by means of a special switching arrangement Ill comprising a first movable member II which is operated by the rheostat and a second movable member 12 which is operated by the throttle.

The voltage regulator comprises a main voltage resp'onsivedevice of any suitable form such as a torque motor 13 connectedito'respond to the voltage of the generator I or circuit 2. As shown for the sake ofsimplicity, the torque motor terminals are connected directly across the circuit, although it will be understood that in practice potential transformers are usually interposed between the circuit, which is of relatively high voltage, and the torque motor which has a relatively low voltage rating. The torque motor is protactors to the side of the supply source. The high speed raise contactor is a normally open contactor which is connected to short circuit the motor-operated rheostat when it is closed. The high speed lower contactor 21 is normally closed and in this condition is connected to short circuit a resistor 28 connected in series with the motor-operated rheostat in the excitation circuit of the exciter I.

In order to limit the lowering action of the regulator the low speed lowering circuit controlled by the contact I5 is completed through a pair of contacts 29 and 30 carried respectively by the rotatable members H and i2 and the high speed lowering circuit controlled by the contact i9 is completed through a pair of contacts 3i and 32 carried by the rotatable members H and I2 respectively. In order to raise the excitation vided with a shaft l4 and'the torque imparted to this shalt by the motor is counterbalanced by a spring I5 so that'only when the voltage is normal will a balance exist and the shaft be in its normal position. Fixed to the shaft I4 is -.a contact-carrying assembly consisting oi four insulated yieldably-mounted contacts l8, l1, l8 and i9. Contacts [8 and are on opposite sides of av rotating star wheel contact and contacts to a safe value for maintaining synchronism as determined by the load on the generator, an auxiliary branch circuit is provided for energizing the low speed raise circuit which is normally controlled by the contact ll. This branch circuit extends from the positive side of the control source through a normally open'pair of contacts 33 and it carried respectively by the rotatable members H and i2 and through a conductor 33 i8 and I9 are on opposite sides of a rotating disk the same shaft and are rotated by any suitable the fall in voltage is relatively large. Similarly,

-i1thevoltage rises above normal, the shaft I4 -.is turned in a clockwise direction, first causin only; contact [6 to engage contact 2G if the voltage rise is small and then causing contact I9 to engage contact it it the voltage rise is large. Com- 1 tact I6 which makes engagement on small increases in voltage is known as the slow lower ;,c ontact and contact is which makes engagement on large increases in voltage is known as the quick. lower. contact. Similarly, contacts I! and G8 are known as the slow raise and quick raise contacts respectively. The reason contacts l8 1 and l9 can engage contact 2| after contacts l6 and ilengage contact 20 is because of yieldable "spring mountings for contacts 16 and H. 'These permit further rotation of the shaft l4 and hence further inward movement of the contacts I! and !9 after the contacts is and it, as the case may be, engage the contact 29. Th common contacts Y28 and ii are connected to one side of a suitable source of control current indicated by the symbol. The slow raise and lower contacts are connected by means of conductors .22 and 23 to-the raise and lower terminals of the driving motor for the motor-operated rheostat 9, the 1 a, common terminal of this motor being connected to the opposite side of the supply source as indicated by the. symbol. The high speed contactsi8 and is are connected respectively by means of conductors 2E and 25 to highspeed raise and 1 lower contactors 26 and 2'5. through these contactors are completed by also connecting the operating windings 0f the CO The circuits contact 2l. Contacts ziland'il are mounted on to the conductor 22.

It is usually not convenient to mount the motor-operated rheostat close to the throttle for the prime mover and therefore in order to sim-= plify the mechanical driving connections for the switching means Ill, the latter is mounted closely adjacent to either the throttle or the rheostat and is shown by way of example as mounted next to the rheostat so that its rotatable memher i I may be driven by the motor-operated rheostat. As shown, they are interconnected by a speed reducing gear box ii. The rotatable member [2 which will then usually be fairly far away from the throttle is driven from the throttle by any suitable remote positioning means One such means is shown in the drawing and consists of a Selsyn transmitter 36 and a ,Selsyn receiver 3L These two devices are similar in construction, being provided with single-phase rotors energized by any suitable source of alternating current and which are mechanically connected to the throttle l and the rotatable mem her I? respectively. Their stators aresimilar to the stators of three-phase induction motors and they are interconnected by a three-phase circuit 88; With this system the rotors oi the devices 38 and 31 induce unbalanced voltages in the stator circuit only when the rotors are out of correspondence and these unbalanced voltages action of the lower limit means for the regulator the voltage of the generator will continue to increase to seriously high values and, in fact, it may be less important to leave the loader: the gener ator undisturbed than it is to limit the voltage. Therefore, in order to prevent the voltage from rising too high under these conditions I provide an additional rotary contact member as on the 5 shaft l l which is provided with an insulating section 40 and which cooperates with a brush 4! operated by the frame 12. The members Ii and 39 may be similar except that they are angularly displaced approximately 180 degrees on the shaft ii so that whenever the brush 32 is making contact with the contact member 3i th brush 4| is on the insulating segment 40 and whenever the brush 32 is on the insulating part of the member 3| the brush 4i makes contact with the contact disk 39. Thus, current can flow from the brush 4i to a collecting brush 42 which continuously engages the disk 3! whenever the excitation lowering action of the voltage regulator is limited and the insulation 40 prevents the flow of current from the brush 4i to the disk 39 at all times when the lower limit means does not prevent the regulator from lowering the excitation.

The brush 4| is connected to the high speed lowering contact IQ of the regulator by means the conductor 25 so that the collecting brush 42 is connected to the positive side of the source of control current only when the voltage of the generator is substantially above the normal value held by the regulator, which will ordinarily be the rated value of the machine I, and only when the voltage lowering action of the regulator is limited by th throttle position responsive means which positions the brush 4i in accordance with the kilowatt load on the machine I.

Energization of collecting brush 42 is arranged to cause a reduction in the load on the generator I. This is accomplished by connecting it by means of a conductor 43 to the lowering circuit for a reversible synchronizing motor 44 which controls the tension of a loading spring 4! for the governor 4. The synchronizing motor 44 is shown as a conventional split field type motor whose direction of operation is normally controlled by raise and lower push button switches. By means of these switches the motor may be made to increase or decrease the tension of the spring 4 thereby to raise and lower respectively the speed setting oi the governor and hence to raise and lower respectively the loading of the generator I.

In order to prevent overshooting oi this control means a so-called notching arrangement is provided in the form of a rotating cam or star wheel contact 46 which intermittently makes and breaks the circuit through the conductor 43 so that whenever themotor 44 is operated automatically it will operate intermittently instead of continuously. The contact wheel 46 is shown as being driven by a motor 41.

In order to notify the station operator that load is being taken oil the machine I an alarm relay 48 may be connected in' the conductor 43 so that whenever current flows therethrough it will close its contacts to operate any suitable alarm or signal device.

In order to prevent the voltage regulator from overheating the generator i in case the voltage of its circuit falls too low it is provided with an automatically operating upper limit. This may be directly responsive to machine temperature or r to temperature rise but I prefer to use current response because overcurrent is the primary cause of overheating and as the machine will have rated overcurrent or maximum current values it is more convenient to provide means which will be actuated when these current values are exceeded. As shown, the upper current limit means comprises a pair of regulator heads 49 and'iil generally similar to the automatic voltage regulator head 4. regulator head 49 being responsive to the ourrent in ileld winding I and regulator head" being responsive to the armature current of machine l. Thus, regulator head "is provided with a direct current torque motor ll connectedin':

series with the field winding i, the torque of this motor being balanced by a. spring 52 at maximum safe valu of field current. vided with raise and lower contacts 55 and cooperating: respectively with a center" star wheel contact. 55. which is cocmected to tho positiveside of th control source;

The armature current responsive head i is provided with 81 hm-Phil: Wm

motor I! which is energized. in accordancewitharmature current oi'the machine. i. by; means of suitably connected current transiormersll. The torque of motor is balancedbyaspring at the rated maximum safe armature-currentvalue: of the machine and the torque motor la er ranged to operate raise and lowerco'ntacts-ifi and l which cooperate with separate. rotating-star contact wheels whichv are insulated from each; other. The one which cooperates with the lower contact BI is connected to the positive sideoi. the source of control current. as shown.

The-contacts oi the two regulator heads 49 and;

50 crew interconnected that when either of. the

lowering contacts engage their respective star.-

wheel contacts thefleld currentot the generator i is reduced. This may conveniently-be accomplished by means of amotor-operated rheostat 4i part of the split field. is connected to the positive side of the source of. control current-throughthe two sets of raise contacts or the regulator heads 40 and." inseries;

The operation or thesystem is as follows:

Assume that prime mover 3- is being supplied with steam and is driving the generator lat. rated speed and that the generator i is supplying power to the system over circuit 2 atrated voltage. Under these circumstances the parts will be in the positions shownin the drawing. 1! now the voltage should fall for any reason the slow raise circuit will be closed through the contacts l1 and 2 0 it the tall in voltage is slight, and in addition the quick raise circuit will be closed through the contacts II and. II it the tall in voltage is substantial. Closure of the slowraise circuit will cause the motor-operated rheostat I to operate in a direction to cut out resistance in the exciter fleld circuit and closure 0! the high speed raise circuit will cause the high speed con-- tactor ,2! to short circuit the motor-operated rheostat thereby producing a large decrease in exciter field resistance and causing a rapid increase in excitation. The raising direction or operation of the motor-operated rheostat is such as to rotate the rotatable member ii in a clockwise direction, as shown in the drawing. when the voltage returns to normal the raise circuits are broken and the excitation raising operation ceases. If new the voltage becomes higher than normal the slow lowering circuit is closed it the rise in voltage is small and in addition the quick lowering circuit is closed it the voltage increase is large. Closure of the slow lowering circuit through the contacts i6 and 20 reverses the operation of the motor-operated rheostat causing it to insert more of its resistance in the excite: field ationis reached the lowering circuits ke'n by the separation of the contacts insulating pieces set in the contacts At' the same time that this happens the task will have been rotated to a posi- I tionjin 'hich it is permitted toengage its coopntact 14 thus completing 'a branch cirln.t erraisi'ngdirection. Actually, it is preferable to:'provi de a slight interval between the opening of the lowering circuit controlling contacts andthe closing of the raise circuit controlling contacts so to prevent a pumping action of the system. v

' The value of excitation below, which'the lowering circuits arerendered inoperative and the low speed raise circuit is rendered operative is determined by the angular position of the rotatable member I2. This is determined by the throttle positionwhich'in its turn controls the load carried by the generator. I The drive for themember i2 is suchthat when the throttle is moved in an 7 opening" direction; so as to increase the load the rotatable member I2; is turned in aclo'ckwise direction; as'viewed in'the drawing, withthe result thatthepredetermined minimum value of excitationbelowjwhich the'lowering contacts are incapacitated and the low speed raising circuit is rendered operative is increased. Similar-ma closing motion of the throttle causes a counterclockwise rotation of the member l2, thus decreasing the, permissible minimum value of excitation.

,When the voltage gets high enough to close the high speed lowering contact IQ of the voltage regulator and the load on the generator is too high toallo'w further reduction in excitation, the circircult and causing'it to rotate the member I I 52 so that when a predetermined io' energizing the motor-operated rheostat,

to the positive side of the control circuit so as to energize the motor-operated rheostat 6| in such a manner that it reduces the resistance in the main control circuit of the voltage regulator. This in effect makes the voltage regulator think that the voltage is higher than it actually is so that it closes its lowering contacts and reduces the field current and this action will continue until both the armature current and the field current are reduced to safe values. However, the motor of the rheostat 6! will not reverse so as to raise the setting of the regulator until both the armature and field currents of the main machine are below their maximum safe values.

It will, of course, be obvious to those skilled in the art that a motor-operated rheostat is not essential in that the raise and lower coils of the split field for the motor of the rheostat 6! could be relay coils for controlling the short circuiting of a resistor in a circuit of the torque motor l3, the resistor normally being un-short circuited whenever the field and armature currents get too high. However, the gradual control which is produced by the motor-operated rheostat is preferable.

The value of the resistance of the rheostat 6i is relatively small so that when it is all short circuited the resulting reduction in terminal voltage is also relatively small so-that the accompanying reduction in armature current and field current cannot be made to fall to such values as to jeopardize stability. In general, the value of this resistance is so limited as not to allow underexeited leading power factor operation of the generator l. Also the speed of its motor is made very slow so as not to reduce appreciably the voltage regulator setting during transient faults or momentary disturbances.

'cuit will be completed through the brush ii and the rotating contact 39 to the lowering field windmg of the synchronizing motor 44, so as to reduce the'sp'eed setting of the governor and thus per-= init a closingmotion of the throttle 4 which will cause the frame it to move in the closing direction untileventually the lower limit will be raised sufilciently to permit a decrease in the excitation and consequently a decrease in voltage.

-' Thefield'and armature currents will normally be below their maximum safe values so that the raise contacts til and-59 of the field and armature current responsive units id and 59 will normally be closedand consequently the rheostat at will normally be turned'to its all-in position so that all of its resistance will be inserted in the circuit of the torque motor 53. The motor 6i may either be designed to'be energized continuously in a stalledcondltion or else it may be provided with conventional limit switches for deenergizing it when it reaches its limits of operation. With alt of this resistance in the circuit of the torque motor i3 the regulator will tend to hold normal or rated voltage of the generator I. It now either the field current'orthe armature current of the machine mi exceeds its maximum safe value the lower contact at or the lower contact as will be connected While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the invention and, there fore, it is aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

' What I claim as new and desire to securebi Letters Patent oi the United States is:

1. In a synchronous to-synchronous electric power system, a synchronous dynamoelectrlc machine, an automatic voltage regulator responsive to the voltage of said machine for controlling the field current of said machine in a manner to maintain the machine voltage at a predetermined value, and means responsive to an abnormal operating condition of said machine which is associated with dangerous overheating o1- said machine and cooperating with said voltage regulator for lowering the voltagesetting of said regulator below said predetermined value.

2. In a synchronous-to-synchronous electric power system having a synchronous dynamoelectrio machine, an automatic voltage. regulator responsive to the voltage of said machine for con trolling the field current of said machine in a manner to maintain the machine voltage at a predetermined value, and means responsive to its normal value when both said currents are less than their respective maximum safe values.

3. In a synchronous-to-synchronous electric power system, a synchronous dynamoelectric machine, an automatic voltage regulator responsive to the voltage of said machine for controlling the excitation of said machine in a manner to maintain the machine voltage substantially at a predetermined value, means for preventing said regulator from lowering the excitation of said machine below predetermined minimum safe stable values which vary in accordance with the kilowatt loading of said machine, and means responsive to a predetermined overvoltage condition of said machine for lowering the kilowatt loading of said machine.

4. In a synchronous-to-synchronous electric power system, a synchronous dynamoelectric machine, an automatic voltage regulator responsive to the voltage of said machine for controlling the excitation of said machine in a manner to maintain the machine voltage substantially at a predetermined value, means for preventing said regulator from lowering the excitation of said machine below predetermined minimum safe stable values which vary in accordance with the kilowatt loading of said machine, means for raising the excitation of said machine to said minimum values independently of said regulator, and means responsive to a predetermined overvoltage condition of asid machine for lowering the kilowatt loading of said machine.

5. In a synchronous-to-synchronous electric power system, a synchronous generator, a prime mover for said generator, 9. speed governor for said prime mover, means for adjusting the speed setting of said governor for varying the kilowatt loading of said generator, an automatic voltage regulator for said generator for controlling the field current of said generator so as to maintain a predetermined normal generator voltage, means for incapacitating the field current lowering action of said regulator when the field current is below predetermined maximum safe stability values which are proportional to the kilowatt load on said generator, and means responsive to a predetermined overvoltage condition of said generator for actuating said speed setting adjusting means so as to reduce the kilowatt loading of said generator.

6. In a synchronous-to-synchronous electric power system, a synchronous generator having a short circuit ratio of less than unity, a prime mover for said generator, a speed governor for said prime mover, means for adjusting the speed setting of said governor for varying the kilowatt loading of said generator, an automatic voltage regulator for said generator for controlling the field current of said generator so as to maintain a predetermined normal generator voltage, means for incapacitating the field current lowering action of said regulator when the field current is below predetermined maximum safe stability values which are proportional to the kilowatt load on said generator, means for raising the field current to said predetermined minimum safe stability values independently of the action of said regulator, and means responsive to a predetermined over-voltage condition of said generator for actuating said speed setting adjusting means so as to reduce the kilowatt loading of said generator.

7. In a synchronous-to-synchronous electric power system, a synchronous generator, at prime mover for said generator, a speed governor for said prime mover, means for adjusting the speed setting of said governor for varying the kilowatt loading of said generator, an automatic voltage regulator for said generator for controlling the field current of said generator so as to maintain a predetermined normal generator voltage, said generator having predetermined maximum safe values of field current and armature current, meansfor incapacitating the field current lowering action of said regulator when the field current is below predetermined maximum safe stability values which are proportional to the kilowatt load on said generator, means responsive to a predetermined overvoltage condition of said generator for actuating said speed setting adjusting means so as to reduce the kilowatt loading of said generator, and means responsive to both of said currents for lowering the voltage setting of said regulator whenever either of'said currents exceed their respective predetermined maximum safe values and for restoring the voltage setting of said regulator to its normal value whenever both of said currents are below their respective predetermined maximum safe values.

8. In a synchronous-to-synchronous electric power system, a synchronous generator having a short circuit ratio of less than unity, a prime mover for said generator, a speed governor for said prime mover, means for adjusting the speed setting of said governor for varying the kilowatt ie-ading of said generator, an automatic voltage regulator for said generator for controlling the field current of said generator so as to maintain a predetermined normal generator voltage, said generator having predetermined maximum sate values of field current and armature current,

means for incapacitating the field current lowering action of said regulator when the field current is below predetermined maximum safe stability values which are proportional to the kilowatt load on said generator, means for raising the field current to said predetermined minimum safe stabilit values independently of the action of said regulator, means responsive to a predetermined overvoltage condition of said generator for actuating said speed setting adjusting means so as to reduce the kilowatt loading of said generator, and means responsive to both of said currents for lowering the voltage setting of said regulator whenever either of said currents exceeds their respective predetermined maximum safe values and for restoring the voltage setting of said regulator to its normal value whenever both of said currents are below their respective predetermined maximum safe values.

SELDE'N B. CRARY. 

